EXCERPT: As local officials continue to work on affordable housing development, Minnesota is looking good for affordability, if not always availability. The National Low Income Housing Coalition’s “Out of Reach” report — which maps the minimum hourly wage needed to afford rentals based on federal Fair Market Rent estimates — found Minnesota about in the middle for affordability, 21st in the nation. Wisconsin was 10 places behind at 31st. The standard used for affordability is 30 percent or less of a household’s income going to pay for housing. The study found that in the U.S. the average worker would need $21.21 per hour to for a two-bedroom apartment to be reasonably affordable. That’s almost three times the federal minimum wage of $7.25, and about 30 percent more than the $16.38 hourly wage that the average U.S. renter brings home. They found that on average in the state of Minnesota for a two-bedroom apartment, two people would need to be working full-time at the minimum wage. Minnesota’s $9.50/hour minimum wage — $2.25 above the federal minimum — helps raise its standing relative to states with a lower wage threshold. FULLSTORY: http://bit.ly/2tpPNAZ